Seafood Dinner Recipes You'll Want to Try
These fresh seafood recipes come from Midwest chefs and our own Test Kitchen. Check out recipe ideas for fish, shrimp and even lobster.
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Seared Lake Trout with Summer Relish
Chef Adam Raupp of the Mission Table restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan, serves caught-that-morning lake trout with tangy corn relish and garlicky spinach vinaigrette. You can substitute rainbow trout, ocean trout, Arctic char, bluefish or striped bass in this recipe.
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Vietnamese Shrimp and Noodle Bowls
These bowls check all the boxes with layers of flavors, textures and temperatures. Grab your chopsticks and dig in!
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Beer-Battered Fish Tacos
Jose Alarcon, owner of Centro restaurant and the bakery-cafe and market Vivir in Minneapolis, shares his recipe for perfectly crispy fish tacos.
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Walleye Wild Rice Cakes with Wasabi Dressing
Cindi Rockwell of Berkley, Michigan, says this recipe, which has two signature Minnesota ingredients, was inspired by the resort her grandparents owned there.
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Lake Chowder
Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, Minnesota, makes this buttery, dill-flecked chowder with lake trout, a mild-flavored and relatively oily fish. The recipe tastes just as good with salmon or whitefish.
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Crispy Beer Batter Fried Walleye with Mango Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
Fresh-fruit sauce brings a lively taste of the islands to down-home beer-battered fish.
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Dilled Shrimp and Orzo Bowl
Dill, shrimp and a hint of vinegar shine in this light, veggie-filled dish.
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Salmon Smorrebrod
At Northern Waters Restaurant in Duluth, these open-face sandwiches are assembled in the kitchen, but you can array the components as a make-your-own appetizer or light brunch dish. Improvise with thinly sliced radish or by offering RyKrisp crackers in addition to bread.
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Pepper-Lime Shrimp and Grits
Mexican flavors give a fresh twist to this classic Southern dish. Best of all, each serving has only 382 calories!
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Lobster Boil
Chef Kevin Nashan of Peacemaker Lobster and Crab in St. Louis scaled this recipe for one (very hungry) person. Multiply quantities by the number of people eating, but you might want to dial down on some of the trimmin's or allow a half lobster per person to keep costs in check. (Not into lobster? We've also included tips for turning this into a shrimp boil!)
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Old Bay Burger
This tasty burger from Northern Waters Restaurant in Duluth, Minnesota, is essentially a tender fish cake on a bun. The key is grinding or chopping the fish enough to hold together--but not so finely that it becomes mealy.
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Planked Salmon with Grilled Tomato Salsa
Grilling brings out the sweetness in cherry tomatoes, which pair beautifully with the smoky flavor of planked salmon. Brown rice or quinoa round out a healthy dinner.
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Curried Coconut Shrimp and Noodles
This pasta-based seafood dish features a flavor-packed broth of ginger, curry and coconut milk. The tender noodles soak it up.
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Dilly Smoked Salmon Pizza
This simple smoked salmon pizza was inspired by one served at The Stone Barn in Nelson, Wisconsin. We love the ease of using purchased crust, but you can sub your favorite homemade dough.
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Cider-Brined Coho Salmon with Dijon Cream
Freshwater salmon soaks up the flavor of cider-tarragon marinade created by Sally Sibthorpe of Shelby Township, Michigan. She finishes the elegant main dish with a cream sauce scented with aniselike tarragon
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Hummus-Encrusted Tilapia
Hummus and a panko-walnut mixture tops tender, moist tilapia filets.
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Grilled Fish with Moroccan Vinaigrette
This flaky white fish looks like a gourmet dish when served over a bed of couscous and dressed with mesclun (a mix of salad greens) and colorful radish slivers.
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Honey-Bourbon Salmon
Although this recipe takes very little hands-on cooking time, be sure to allow an hour to marinate the salmon so it absorbs all the flavors of the sweet-and-salty marinade.
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Caribbean Shrimp Kabobs
These weeknight-easy skewers marry gently spiced shrimp with juicy pineapple. Serve with rice and a fresh lettuce salad.
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Corn-Roasted Walleye
Use corn husks to package your fish fillets in this main dish. Roasting the corn salsa intensifies its flavor. Serve with tortilla chips to scoop up any leftover salsa on your plate.
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Finfish and Vegetables in Papillote
Cooking in paper—en papillote—is a simple, elegant way to prepare fish. When the package is opened, an aromatic puff of steam escapes.
Bill Dugan suggests that beginners try this simple method: Sprinkle a fresh 4- to 5-ounce portion of fish with salt, wrap in a parchment bag and steam in a vegetable steamer for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve au jus or with a splash of vinaigrette. He also suggests baking delicate fish 15 minutes in a parchment bag with fresh herbs.
The Finfish and Vegetables in Papillote recipe uses fresh vegetables as well as herbs to create a fragrant main dish.